Neste Oil makes progress on microbial oil plant

Finlands Neste Oil recently completed the first phase
of a pilot plant for producing microbial oil. The 8
million plant is expected to be completed in the second half of
2012. Commercial-scale production is anticipated by 2015, at
the earliest.

The first phase will enable the growth of oil-producing
microorganisms, and the following phases will concentrate on
raw material pretreatment and oil recovery. The goal is to
develop the technology so that it is capable of yielding
commercial volumes of sustainable, efficient microbial oil for
use as a feedstock for NExBTL renewable diesel.

The technology uses yeast and fungi in
bioreactors to efficiently convert sugars from waste and
residues into oil. A wide range of different materials can be
used, such as straw and sidestreams from the pulp and paper
industry, which makes feedstock optimization possible.

Honeywell enhances cyber defense software

Honeywell has announced a certified application control and
whitelisting solution to help prevent viruses and malware from
attacking its Experion Process Knowledge System (PKS) control
system platform. Whitelisting (Fig. 1)
protects from unwanted intrusions by permitting only
applications and executable files that are considered safe and
on an approved list to run, while blocking
everything else.

Fig. 1. Honeywells
whitelisting solution circle
chart.

Whitelisting solutions have been deployed in business IT environments for years, but their
introduction into automation control systems is relatively new.
Two major Honeywell control systems customers have been
extensively piloting the solution through rigorous testing in
specialized, mission-critical environments and providing feedback
on their experiences.

The solution is the result of an agreement between Honeywell
Process Solutions and technology partner Bit9. Additionally,
Honeywells Industrial IT Solutions offers a full spectrum
of in-depth defense solutions and services to protect
automation manufacturers.

Netherlocks offers online valve testing

Netherlockss Fail Action Integrity Test Handling
(FAITH) Partial Stroke Test system (Fig. 2) is
now able to remotely conduct online tests of emergency shutdown
(ESD) and high-integrity pressure protection system (HIPPS)
valves. Operators can reduce degradation and ensure the proper
operation of emergency valves from the safety of the control
room.

The FAITH system uses a simple design for reliable
operation, and it integrates into a valves static and
dynamic couplings. To eliminate the risk of overshoot or
process interruption, the systems mechanical steel
blocking pins ensure that valves cannot be operated past the
preset test angle. With the new remote testing feature,
operators can conduct and monitor partial stroke tests of
emergency valves without the need to manually access the FAITH
system.

AbTech wins innovator award

AbTech Holdings Inc., a developer and manufacturer of
technologies addressing issues of water pollution and
contamination, was recently honored as the 2012 Technology
Innovator at the Third Annual World Shale Oil and Gas Summit in
Houston, Texas. The award was presented in partnership with the
American Gas Association and International Gas Union at the
2012 summit, held September 1821.

AbTechs produced water pretreatment systems combine
available technologies with systems engineering and
AbTechs Smart Sponge de-oiling technology to remove oil
and other contaminants from frac and produced water at natural
gas production sites.

The pretreatment system employs a three-stage process for
oil recovery, de-oiling and VOC air stripping, offering natural
gas producers a complete solution that works with and protects
any downstream produced water treatment systems being employed
in the field.

Servomex installs combustion analysis for Shell

Servomex recently installed a solution for combustion
analysis on ethylene cracker furnaces at Shell Netherlands
Chemie BV. The new flue gas analysis solution, which coincides
with a furnace refurbishment program, enables optimization of
the combustion control process, leading to improved fuel
efficiency and reduced CO emissions.

SERVOTOUGH LaserSP 2900 cross-stack analyzers (Fig.
3) were installed across the 13-meter radiant sections
of the ethylene cracker furnaces to monitor both O2
and CO within the flue gas. The LaserSP employs the Tuneable
Diode Laser Spectroscopy (TDLS) technique to make a
path-averaged measurement of the process gas concentrations
close to the burners, enabling rapid process
optimization.

Fig. 3. The SERVOTOUGH
LaserSP 2900 cross-stack
analyzer.

To protect the analyzer optics, it is common practice to
flow purge gas over the windows of TDLS in-situ analyzers. In
flue gas measurements, it has been necessary to employ dry
N2 as the window purge gas as opposed to instrument
air.

However, in partnership with Shell Moerdijk, the infrared
scan range of the LaserSP was extended to include additional
absorption lines that only appear at temperatures greater than
600°C. By using one of these hot lines to
monitor the process O2, it is possible to use
instrument air as the window purge gas, since the O2
in the instrument air, being colder than 600°C, is no
longer detected at the process monitoring hot
wavelength.

With two LaserSP analyzers installed in-situ on each
ethylene furnace for the measurement of 0%10%
O2 and 0 ppm to 1,000 ppm CO, respectively, the
combined solution is helping Shell Netherlands Chemie BV
optimize process efficiency by reducing fuel consumption and
process emissions, as well as by reducing
installation and operational costs.

Traditionally, refinery planners maintain their own
assay libraries and use disparate technologies, which can lead
to inaccurate and inefficient planning. The new functionality
from Aspen Technology now allows planners to add, modify and
recut assays directly in Aspen PIMS, thereby enabling them to
quickly evaluate more scenarios with greater accuracy.

Aspen PIMS assay management capabilities allow users
to import assay data from external sources and more efficiently
manage their crude feedstocks. Guided, automated
workflows increase productivity, while alerts notify planners
for the next step in the process to shorten their learning
curve.

Portable analyzer aids in gas quality measurement

In response to requests from customers, Michell Instruments
has developed a transportable version of its hydrocarbon dewpoint analyzer
(Fig. 4). The key function of the new version
is to enable engineers to provide a fast response for
investigations into the quality of natural gas, wherever it is
needed. It is also certified for use in hazardous areas.

The Transportable Condumax II measures hydrocarbon and water dewpointkey
indicators of the quality of natural gasin the same way
and to the same accuracy as the online version. The analyzer is
fitted into a robust transport case with a rudimentary sampling
system suitable for performing supervised measurement
sequences. The ease of use reduces the reaction time of test
measurements, as well as the cost.

A typical application for the Transportable Condumax II is
an investigation into the performance of hydrocarbon reduction
processing by natural gas producers. Gas pipeline transmission
operators usually have online hydrocarbon dewpoint analyzers
installed at the entry and delivery points of their pipeline
network. However, the analyzer allows for quality checks to be
made at any point within the pipeline.

Additionally, electricity companies that operate gas
turbines need to be sure of the superheat margin between the
dewpoint and delivery temperature of the fuel gas to avoid
damage caused by liquid condensate in the gas and to avoid environmental levies on emissions. The Transportable
Condumax II enables checks of the hydrocarbon and water dewpoint of the
natural gas entering the fuel gas system.

Flame detector obtains certification

The Multi-Spectrum Infrared (MSIR) FL4000H flame detector
from General Monitors (Fig. 5) has been
certified by the Building Research Establishment Group (BRE
Group) to the EN 54-10 standard of the European Construction Products Directive
(CPD), a standard recognized worldwide to represent the highest
levels of quality for flame-detection devices.

Certification to the EN 54-10 standard of the European CPD assures General
Monitors customers that the FL4000H flame detector has
undergone rigorous testing and has been determined to meet the
highest quality standards. It also makes the FL4000H eligible
for use in countries that conform to European safety standards.

Featuring a next-generation MSIR sensor that incorporates
neural network technology, the FL4000H provides
reliable flame monitoring with false-alarm immunity, a wide
field of view, and one of the longest detection ranges
available.

The flame detectors algorithm is based on artificial
neural networks that are mathematical models that correlate
certain patterns of infrared radiation with the incidence of
flame. The optical IR sensor array and the neural network
function together as an adaptive and intuitive decision-making
mechanism, resulting in a reliable scheme for discrimination
between actual flames and false-alarm sources.

Doncasters Paralloy is now offering Paralloy H39WM+,
developed to increase the performance of petrochemical furnaces while
simultaneously reducing furnace operating costs. Stronger and
more ductile than its predecessor, Paralloy H39WM+ features
enhanced creep strength and carburization resistance, meeting
stringent criteria for modern steam reforming furnaces and
pyrolysis cracking coils.

Paralloy H39WM+s properties enable Doncasters Paralloy
to offer the tubes with thinner walls, which reduces thermal
gradient and, therefore, thermal stresses within the walls on
startups and shutdowns. Thinner walls also give improvement in
the rate of heat transfer and provide energy savings.

Increases in tube skin temperatures and tube operating
pressures offer reformer designers a number of advantages,
including the opportunity to explore new chemical reactions in
the reformer, the chance to increase the yields of some
chemical products, and an increase in overall productivity.
HP